Wendell Pierce
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- December 8, 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Active Years
- 1985–2026 (42 Years)
- Total Credits
- 129 credits in database
Biography
Wendell Edward Pierce is an American actor and businessman born on December 8, 1963, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Having trained at the Juilliard School, Pierce established himself as a character actor on both stage and screen, gaining initial recognition for portraying Detective Bunk Moreland in the HBO drama series The Wire from 2002 to 2008. His other notable television roles include trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme, James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, attorney Robert Zane in Suits, and Clarence Thomas in Confirmation. Additionally, Pierce received Independent Spirit Awards nominations for his film performances in Four and Burning Cane.
Career overview
Wendell Edward Pierce was born on December 8, 1963, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is an American actor and businessman who trained at the Juilliard School. He established himself as a prominent character actor across both stage and screen. Pierce first gained recognition for his television work portraying Detective Bunk Moreland in the acclaimed HBO drama series The Wire from 2002 to 2008.
Following that breakout role, Pierce built a substantial television career with several other notable roles. He portrayed trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme from 2010 to 2013, attorney Robert Zane in Suits from 2013 to 2019, Clarence Thomas in Confirmation in 2016, and James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan from 2018 to 2023.
In addition to his television credits, Pierce has worked in film. He earned Independent Spirit Awards nominations for his performances in the films Four in 2012 and Burning Cane in 2019. Across his extensive career, Pierce has accumulated numerous acting credits in film and television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
129 titles- Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) as James Greer
- They Fight (2026) as Slim
- Superman (2025) as Perry White
- Thunderbolts* (2025) as Congressman Gary
- Highest 2 Lowest (2025) as Gabe
- The American Revolution (2025) as (voice)
- Elsbeth (2024) as C.W. Wagner
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Be My Guest with Ina Garten (2022) as Self - Guest
- Becoming Frederick Douglass (2022) as Frederick Douglass (voice)
- Don't Hang Up (2022) as Chris Daniels
- The Watch (2021) as Death (voice)
- Between the World and Me (2020) as Self
- Tamron Hall (2019) as Self - Guest
- Harley Quinn (2019) as Lex Luthor (voice)
- Burning Cane (2019) as Reverend Tillman
- Burning Cane (2019) Producer
- Piercing (2019) as The Doctor
- Clemency (2019) as Jonathan Williams
- Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018) as James Greer
- Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. (2018) as Detective Lee Tucker
- One Last Thing (2018) as Dylan
- 27 Years: The Exoneration of Valentino Dixon (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- The Forever Tree (2017) as Doctor Willow
- Rodents of Unusual Size (2017) as Narrator (voice)
- Bad Moms (2016) as Principal Daryl Burr
- Grease Live (2016) as Coach Calhoun
- Confirmation (2016) as Clarence Thomas
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- The Odd Couple (2015) as Teddy
- The Gift (2015) as Detective Mills
- The Runner (2015) as Frank Legrand
- Runaway Hearts (2015) as Paul
- Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band (2015) as Andy Kirk (voice)
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Chicago P.D. (2014) as Ray Price
- The Night Shift (2014) as Walt
- Selma (2014) as Rev. Hosea Williams
- Elsa & Fred (2014) as Armande
- Foreclosure (2014) as Virgil
- Ray Donovan (2013) as Ronald Keith
- Parker (2013) as Carlson
- The Michael J. Fox Show (2013) as Harris Green
- Möbius (2013) as Bob
- Four (2013) as Joe
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) as J. Jenks
- Lay the Favorite (2012) as Dave the Rave
- Suits (2011) as Robert Zane
- Horrible Bosses (2011) as Detective Hagan
- A Plea for Modernism (2011) as Narrator (voice)
- The Mortician (2011) as Clinger
- Treme (2010) as Antoine Batiste
- Love Ranch (2010) as Naasih Mohammed
- Night Catches Us (2010) as David Gordon
- New Orleans: A Living Museum of Music (2010) as Narrator (voice)
- Archer (2009) as Verl (voice)
- Drop Dead Diva (2009) as Neal David
- Hawthorne (2009) as Dr. Michael Schilling
- Something with Bite (2009) as Wilbur Orwell
- Beyond All Boundaries (2009) as Sgt. Thomas McPhatter
- In Plain Sight (2008) as Dr. Warren McBride / Warren Morris
- Fear Itself (2008) as Wiilbur Orwell
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007) as Detective
- Women's Murder Club (2007)
- I Think I Love My Wife (2007) as Sean
- Pariah (2007) as Arthur
- The Wire: The Last Word (2007) as Self
- The Wire Odyssey (2007) as Self
- Tapping the Wire (2007) as Self
- Life Support (2007) as Slick
- 2000: Bunk and McNulty (2007) as Det. William 'Bunk' Moreland
- Stay Alive (2006) as Detective Thibodeaux
- When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) as Self
- Numb3rs (2005) as William Bradford
- Close to Home (2005) as Sam Carter
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as Richard Link
- Ray (2004) as Wilbur Brassfield
- Land of Plenty (2004) as Henry
- A Hole in One (2004) as Dan
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2003) as Self
- The Fighting Temptations (2003) as Reverend Lewis
- The Wire (2002) as Bunk Moreland
- Brown Sugar (2002) as Simon
- My Wife and Kids (2001) as Dr. Boucher
- The Gilded Six Bits (2001) as Otis D. Slimmons
- Girlfriends (2000) as Anthony Jackson
- The Weber Show (2000) as Wendell Simms
- God, the Devil and Bob (2000) as Mike (voice)
- Judging Amy (1999) as Harry Benton
- Third Watch (1999) as Officer Conrad 'Candyman' Jones
- The 24 Hour Woman (1999) as Roy Labelle
- Abilene (1999) as Reverend Tillis
- Bulworth (1998) as Fred
- The Brian Benben Show (1998)
- The Gregory Hines Show (1997)
- The Advocate's Devil (1997) as Justin
- Sleepers (1996) as Little Caesar
- Moloney (1996) as Calvin Patterson
- Get on the Bus (1996) as Wendell Perry
- Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story (1996) as John Saunders
- Hackers (1995) as S.S. Agent Richard Gill
- New York News (1995)
- Waiting to Exhale (1995) as Michael
- Bye Bye Love (1995) as Hector
- New York Undercover (1994)
- It Could Happen to You (1994) as Bo Williams
- Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) as Policeman
- Strapped (1993) as District Attorney
- Malcolm X (1992) as Ben Thomas
- Unnatural Pursuits (1992) as Cabbie
- The General Motors Playwrights Theater (1991) as Sergeant Kelly
- A Rage in Harlem (1991) as Louis
- A Matter of Degrees (1991) as Wells Dennard
- The 10 Million Dollar Getaway (1991) as Parnell "Stacks" Edwards
- Law & Order (1990) as Roger Porter
- Law & Order (1990) as Civil Rights Attorney Jerome Bryant
- Law & Order (1990) as Ola-Gimju Nwaka
- Law & Order (1990) as Mr. Wade
- Capital News (1990) as Conrad White
- Casualties of War (1989) as MacIntire
- Family Business (1989) as Prosecutor
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- The Money Pit (1986) as Paramedic
- The Equalizer (1985) as Dr. Wolff
- Great Museums
- Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Affair as Detective Marcus Hill
- King of the South
- The Thrill Is On as B.B. King
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Wendell Pierce best known for?
Wendell Pierce is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026), They Fight (2026), Superman (2025), Thunderbolts* (2025).
When and where was Wendell Pierce born?
Wendell Pierce was born on December 8, 1963 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
How many credits does Wendell Pierce have?
Wendell Pierce has accumulated over 129 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1985 to 2026.
What is Wendell Pierce's background in cinema and television?
Wendell Edward Pierce is an American actor and businessman born on December 8, 1963, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Having trained at the Juilliard School, Pierce established himself as a character actor on both stage and screen, gaining initial recognition for portraying Detective Bunk Moreland in the HBO drama series The...
Wendell Pierce by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Wire (2002) as Bunk Moreland — aged about 38
- Chicago P.D. (2014) as Ray Price — aged about 50
- Harley Quinn (2019) as Lex Luthor (voice) — aged about 55
- Suits (2011) as Robert Zane — aged about 47
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as Richard Link — aged about 41
- Archer (2009) as Verl (voice) — aged about 45
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